Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely

Infobox Album | Name = Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely
Type = Album
Artist = Frank Sinatra


Released = 1958
Recorded = May 25-September 11, 1958 Capitol Studio A, Hollywood
Genre = Vocal Jazz, Classic pop
Length = 59:45
Label = Capitol Records
Producer = Voyle Gilmore
Reviews =
* Allmusic Rating|5|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:9uaxqj6bojta link]
Last album = "This Is Sinatra Volume 2"
(1958)
This album = "Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely"
(1958)
Next album = "Come Dance with Me!"
(1959) |

"Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely" (also known as "Sings for Only the Lonely" and simply "Only the Lonely") is an album by American singer Frank Sinatra, released in 1958.

Sinatra had planned to record this album with Gordon Jenkins, with whom he worked on "Where Are You?", his previous all-ballads album. However, since he was unavailable at the time of the sessions, Sinatra chose to work with Nelson Riddle, his original arranger at Capitol Records.

According to the book "Sinatra: An American Classic", when asked at a New York party in the mid-1970s if he had a favorite album among his recordings, Sinatra unhesitatingly chose this one.

One of several concept albums recorded by Sinatra in the 1950s, it is perhaps most notable as the most unambiguously bleak album of that decade. There are no up-tempo numbers – in fact the only emotional lift is for the benefit of those who purchase the CD reissue, who are treated to an out-take of the Rodgers and Hart classic "Where Or When", as well as a bonus take of "Sleep Warm".

At the Grammy Awards of 1959 "Frank Sinatra Sings for Only the Lonely" was nominated for the Grammy Award for Album of the Year, and won the Grammy Award for Best Album Cover. The jacket comes adorned with a clown portrait of Sinatra's face; on the back of the album is another of Sinatra's recurrent visual motifs, a lamppost. Q placed it #1 on the '15 Greatest Stoner Albums of All Time' [http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/q150lists.htm] .

"Only the Lonely" peaked at #1 on Billboard's pop album chart during a 120 week chart-run.

Track listing

#"Only the Lonely" (Sammy Cahn, Jimmy Van Heusen) - 4:10
#"Angel Eyes" (Matt Dennis, Earl Brent) - 3:46
#"What's New?" (Bob Haggart, Johnny Burke) - 5:13
#"It's a Lonesome Old Town" (Harry Tobias, Charles Kisco) - 4:18
#"Willow Weep for Me" (Ann Ronell) - 4:19
#"Good-Bye" (Gordon Jenkins) - 5:45
#"Blues in the Night" (Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer) - 4:44
#"Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out to Dry" (Cahn, Jule Styne) - 4:00
#"Ebb Tide" (Robert Maxwell, Carl Sigman) - 3:18
#"Spring is Here" (Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart) - 4:47
#"Gone with the Wind" (Allie Wrubel, Herb Magidson) - 5:15
#"One For My Baby (And One More For The Road)" (Arlen, Mercer) - 4:23
#"Sleep Warm" (Lew Spence, Marilyn Keith, Alan Bergman)
#"Where or When" (Rodgers, Hart)

The last two songs are bonus tracks on the compact disc release and were conducted by Riddle.

Personnel

* Frank Sinatra - Vocals
* Nelson Riddle - Arranger
* Felix Slatkin - Conductor
* Bill Miller - Piano
* Gus Bivona - Alto Sax (Track 12 "One For My Baby (And One More For The Road)")